Blood Moon
496 Words
The forest was too quiet.
Kira stood at the edge of the ceremony grounds, staring at the enormous crimson moon hanging above Silvermont like an omen. The cold night air wrapped around her skin, but it did nothing to stop the strange heat building inside her chest.
Something felt wrong.
Or maybe different.
The entire pack had gathered in the clearing. Torches burned in a wide circle while wolves dressed in black stood silently beneath the blood-red sky.
Tonight was sacred.
Tonight the moon chose who they truly were.
Kira swallowed hard.
Around her, younger wolves shifted nervously with excitement, waiting for their first transformation. Some whispered prayers under their breath while others clung to family members for comfort.
Kira stood alone.
Like always.
“You came.”
The deep voice behind her made her shoulders tense instantly.
Kieran.
She turned slowly to face him.
Up close, the Alpha looked even more intimidating. His dark shirt clung to broad shoulders marked with old battle scars, and those piercing gray eyes watched her with unsettling focus.
“I didn’t have much choice,” Kira replied coldly.
One side of Kieran’s mouth almost twitched into a smirk.
“Most would’ve run.”
“Most people aren’t me.”
His gaze lingered on her for a moment too long.
The strange heat inside her chest burned hotter.
Kira looked away first.
“What do you want, Alpha?”
The title sounded sharp coming from her lips.
Kieran stepped closer, lowering his voice. “If anything feels strange tonight, you tell me immediately.”
Her brows pulled together. “Why would anything feel strange?”
For the first time since she met him, uncertainty flashed across his face.
“It’s just a feeling.”
Before Kira could respond, the sound of drums echoed through the clearing.
The ceremony had begun.
Pack members slowly gathered around the sacred stone at the center of the forest while the elders began chanting ancient words in the werewolf tongue.
The air shifted.
Heavy.
Electric.
Kira suddenly struggled to breathe.
A sharp pain exploded through her chest.
She gasped quietly, gripping her arm as heat spread violently through her veins.
No.
No, no, no—
Another pain struck harder this time, forcing her to stumble forward.
The ground beneath her feet trembled slightly.
Around the clearing, wolves began shifting one by one — bones cracking, growls echoing, bodies transforming beneath the Blood Moon.
But Kira’s pain was different.
It felt like something inside her was clawing its way out.
“Kira.”
Kieran’s voice sounded distant now.
Her heartbeat thundered violently.
The moonlight above suddenly seemed brighter — almost blinding.
And then every wolf in the clearing froze.
A terrifying howl echoed through the forest.
Not from the crowd.
From her.
Kira’s eyes widened in horror as darkness exploded through her body.
The last thing she saw before collapsing was Kieran rushing toward her with panic written across his face for the very first time.
- Writer
